Fly and mosquito gun.



PATENTED SEPT. 5, 1905.

R. PETERSEN.

FLY AND MOSQUITO GUN.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 19. 1904.

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R. PETERSEN. FLY AND MOSQUITO GUN.

APPLICATION rum) JULY 19. 1904.

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RASMUS PETERSEN, OF ASBURY PARK, NFAV JERSEY.

FLY AND MOSQUITO GUN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5, 1905.

Application filed July 19, 1904. Serial No. 217,263.

To (all whom, it rimy concern:

Be it known that I, Rxsnus Parmesan, a subject of the King of Denmark, residing at Asbury Park, in the county of Monmouth and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Fly and Mosquito Gun, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements of guns by means of which any person can catch and destroy flies and other insects. l attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accoi'npanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical section of the entire gun; Fig. 2, a vertical section of the mouth or catchers closed. Fig. 3 is a front view of the mouth closed; Fig. i, a front view of the mouth open. Fig. 5 is a cross-section on line (1 b. Fig. 6 is a vertical section illustrating a modification of my invention. Fig. T is a cross-section on line 0 (I. Fig. 8 is a front view of the catchers open inclosed in a box. Fig. 9 is a top view showing an arm on both sides of catchers. Fig. 10 is a top view of sliding handle having a cog-spring. Fig. 11 shows part of shooting-rod having one catcher attached by a spring. Fig. 12 is a front view of the same. Fig. 13 is a vertical section of the gun having a box attached to end of shooting-rod and catchers adapted to open and close the mouth of box. Fig. ll a top view of same. Fig. 15 is a vertical section of box with the catchers fastened together, so that when one is open the other must close the mouth of box.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

1 in Fig. 1 represents the barrel of a gun with one end bent to form agrip. Inside the barrel is a shooting rod or pipe 2-, supposed to represent a moment when the trigger has just been pulled and the rod with its mouth or catcher open is on its Way out toward the object to be caught. It is forced forward by the springs 3 outside the shooting-rod and t inside the rod. To the outer end of shooting-rod is hinged a pair of catchers 5 at point 6, the edge of catchers being provided with a rim of rubber or some soft material T, so that it will not hurt wall or ceiling paper when shot over a fly. The catchers are connected on both sides by elastic or foldable material 8, so as to form a mouth which eanbe closed by means of a spring 9. This spring presses against a ring 10, which can slide on the shooting-rod. On this ring are fastened two springs 11, and those springs are hinged or connected to catchers at 12 and are inclined to press toward each other.

The momentthe trigger is pulled the shoot ing-rod is forced forward and the mouth opens automatically, which will be explained later. Owing to the speed the resistance of the air tends to keep the mouth open. lf shot at a flying insect, the shooting-rod will travel its full moving distance, which is supposed to be about one foot, and as soon as it stops the mouth will close rapidly owing to the spring 9 and the centrifugal power of the catchers. When shot against a cricket or other insect sitting on a wall or ceiling or any other smooth surface, the mouth will close tightly around it and by means of spring 9 close itself and imprison the insect. The insect will try to escape through the opening in catcher at 13 and will be detained in the reservoirs ll. Those can be taken off and insects destroyed. There is also a reservoir 15, fastened to the gun-barrel. The insects can enter this through the hollow shooting-rod. \Vhen the rod is pulled back, the hole in the red at ill will be in front of theaperture in the barrel at LT, leading into the reservoir. By pushing at the piston 18 the insect will be killed. \Vhen the rod 2 is pulled back in cocked position, the projection 19 on the sliding ring 10 will catch into the catches 20, extending out from end of barrel. Those catches being a little elastic will hold onto the ring when the shooting-rod is forced forward and cause the catchers to open. \Vhen opened so far as they can be, the catches 20 cannot dotain the ring any longer and the rod will shoot out with its mouth or catchers open and close again when stopped, as described. Part of the barrel has a slot, preferably on the lower side, and the edges are bent downward to form guiding-groove 21, which extends from grip in longitudinal direction. To the end of shooting-rod a ring fastened, which has a projection 22, adapted to move in the opening 21 and keep the shooting-rod from turning around. Around the barrel of gun and the rod 23 is a sliding handle or front piece 24:, into which a spring-catch 25 is fastened. This catch has a hole 26 near the end intended to engage the trigger at 27. hen the trigger is pulled a little more, as indicated by dotted lines, the spring-catch having an inclination to press toward the barrel will be disengaged from the trigger and the handle with .the catch can be slid forward until the lug or shoulder 28 on the catch has passed point 22 on end of the shooting-rod. WVhen after this the handle is pushed back again, the point 28 on catch will engage point 22 on end of shooting-rod, and when forced farther backward the lug 27 on trigger will engage the catch at 26, and thus the gun is cocked until the trigger is pulled and the same action as described will occur again.

Fig. 6 is essentially the same gun as Fig. 1, but of less complicated construction. The shootingrod 2 is sliding directly inside the handle 24. One end of the spring 25 is bent upward and shaped so as to move inside the shooting-rod through slot 29 lengthwise in the shooting-rod. To each end of the spring is fastened one end of the elastic string 30, the other ends of said string being fastened to the rear end of shooting-rod at 31. Near the front end of shooting-rod is secured a box 32, and the edge of this box is provided with rubber or other soft material 33. Inside of this box are the catchers 5, the foldable material 8 being dispensed with and only one of the catchers having a projecting edge 7, so that when the catchers slam together and kill a fly it cannot spatter out. The catchers are kept open by springs 34:.

When operated, a person takes hold on the handle 24c with one hand and the rear end of shooting-rod with the other and pull his hands apart and then relieves the shooting-rod and it will shoot out very quickly. If aimed at a fly on a wall, the fly will attempt to escape, but can only come about one inch. from its1 lplace when the catchers slam together and i it.

The box and catchers should be provided with plenty of openings to allow the air to pass through, and the box may be reduced to a pair of arms, as shown in Fig. 9.

It will be understood that the arms 32, having enlarged ends shown in Fig. 9, may be used in place of the box 82 (see Fig. 6) and that in use they are to be applied in connection with the catchers or jaws 5. (Shown in Fig. 1.) Both the box and arm serve as fenders. In other words, when the rod is shot out and the box or arms strike against an obje'ct the catchers will slam together.

Fig. 11 and Fig. 12 show the end of shooting-rod itself, provided with rubber and a catcher connected to the rod by a spring 35. This catcher is made of thin wire and is intended to slam directly against the object and kill the insect Without smashing it. This construction of catchers can also be applied to Figs. 6 and 9.

Fig. 13 shows the catchers moving partly outside the box. The front end of catchers are bent and adapted to slide through a slot or opening in both sides of box at 36. When the rod shoots forward, the catchers open, as indicated by dotted lines, and will slam together again and imprison insects, as previously described. The reservoir 15 is directly attached to the shooting-rod.

Fig. v15 shows the catchers fastened together or made out of one piece of metal sheet. One will close the box near the mouth as possible and when this is closed the other, which moves a little farther backward in the box, will be open, as indicated by dotted lines. The purpose of this construction is to prevent a fly which may not yet have entered into the reservoir from being thrown out of the box the moment the shooting-rod shoots out, and the front catcher consequently will be open, and while this is open the other catcher must be closed, as shown.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim- 1. A gun for the purpose specified, comprising a slidable rod, catchers loosely attached to its front end and adapted to open and close in opposite directions, and means for actuating such catchers, substantially as described.

2. A gun for the purpose specified, having a slidable rod, catchers hinged to its front end and movable toward and from each other, and a spring tending to close the catchers, substantially as described.

3. A gun having a slidable rod, catchers hinged to the front end of the rod and adapted to spread apart, and collapsible material connecting the side edges of the catchers, substantially as described.

4. A gun having a shooting-rod and catchers hinged to its front end, and provided with reservoirs having apertures for admission of insects, substantially as described.

5. A gun having a barrel provided with a reservoir and an opening thereto for admission of insects, and a movable shooting-rod arranged within the barrel and provided with an opening adapted to register with the firstnamed opening, substantially as described.

6. A gun having a slidable shooting-rod, a pair of insect-catchers connected with said rod and adapted to be thrown open and to close in contact, and spring-actuating devices connected with the catchers for eifecting such closing forcibly, as described.

7. A gun comprising a stock, a shootingrod which is slidable therewith, movable catch- 1 to this specification in the presence of two subers attached to the front end of the rod and scribing witnesses. IO adapted to open and close, a slide 10 having a Dated July 18, 1.9%. beveled rib and connected with the catchers I 1 w r1 i i i spring-catches on the barrel for engaging the h xbMUb I E ERSEN rib of the slide, and springs for forcing the \Vitnesses: rod and slide forward as descrlbed. LOUIS R. ROSE, In testimony whereof I have slgned my name M. L. FERRIS. 

